CS #101 - Lots of NEW techniques

Hey, all! The newest sketch (#101) is up at Creative Scrappers today. I loved the sketch, so I decided to instantly play along. Here is what I came up with:

Some techniques I used here:

*I painted around the edges of my picture to give it a fun effect.

*I traced circles and cut them out of the cardstock. I then distressed the edges of the cutouts and taped random pieces of magazine paper to the back of the cardstock. It was a new technique I decided to try and I actually had a lot of fun with it (plus it was easy!) so you may be seeing that again on some of my other projects in the near future. :)

*I painted around the edges of a glimmer mist cap in black paint and then I randomly stamped it onto the cardstock to get all those fun little circles.

I am also very happy that I finally got to use that piece of green burlap that I have had sitting around forever! I am sure you guys all have stuff like that too - you have saved a random piece of something because you know you can use it on a project later. Instead, it just lays there looking at you and teasing you because it doesn't work with anything that you are doing. Hmm...maybe I'm being a bit too dramatic, but I think you get the point. :)

Happy Sunday!

Annapolis in LOVE

Hey, all! I have decided to play along with the current challenge over at These are a Few of My Favorite Things. The challenge is to scrap about your favorite city. I scrapped about Annapolis, MD. I had never been there until last weekend when I had the privilege of going to a good friend's wedding at the Naval Academy. I absolutely fell in love with the city. It was gorgeous - full of life and energy. And the really cool thing? This past weekend was "Annapolis in Love" there, so they had renamed all the streets to lovey-dovey names and all the local restaurants and stores were celebrating with some LOVEly sales - it was fun...and very cool for a wedding weekend. Here is my layout: I think I have a crazy obsession with those Maya Road chipboard hearts...I can't stop using them! Ha! :) And don't be surprised if you see all these photos scrapped again in the near future...i *love* some of them...and they will deserve a single photo layout...haha!
And...if you've been following along with my blog recently, you know that I am trying to conquer all of Dear Lizzy's challenges. And I conquered another one with this layout: #11 Finish a page in 45 minutes. It shouldn't have even taken me that long to do my layout, but I had to cut out the pictures (printed them 2 to a page) and I had to put all my brads in place (I used 18 on this layout..I love using up my scrap stash!). You have seriously got to check out this book...it is so, so inspiring.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...thanks so much for stopping by!!

Giveaway winner

Hey, all! A big thanks to everyone who participated in my most recent giveaway. The random winner is Krystle! You can see her favorite layout here. Krystle, please send an email to kraftykat9@gmail.com with your mailing address so I can get your goodies in the mail.

Creative Scrappers Readers' Reveal

Hey, all! I hope everyone is doing well.

Have you been following along with the Creative Scrappers birthday bash this month? If so, you know that they do a fun reader's reveal every Tuesday and Thursday. I was lucky enough to be asked to participate for today's sketch.

Here's the sketch created by Zarah:

Here are my layouts...I made 2 and couldn't decide between them. I didn't know both were going to be posted...oopsies.

Hop on over and check out the other AMAZING layouts the other ladies did. Also, don't forget about my current giveaway...it's an easy one :)

Giveaway!

Hey, all...I figured I should do a little giveaway since I haven't done one in awhile. All you have to do is post a link to your favorite layout. I will randomly pick a winner...you get extra chances to win if you share the news of this giveaway with others!

The winner will get $25 in scrapbooking supplies...

You have until 6 pm PST, Friday, 23 April to link your layout!

Just us girls...

Hey, all! I have a quick layout that I wanted to share with you. I made it with the April Polka Dot Whimsy kit. The kit this month is awesome...has tons of fun papers and embellies. I'm especially loving the Crate Paper Paper Doll collection...

Thanks for looking...have a nice week!! I'm going home to visit my family for a week...so excited! Hopefully I will come back with lots of fun pictures to scrap :)

Nerdy Bird...

Hey, all! I got some new Sassafras paper...and I LOVE it. The "Nerdy Bird" collection is so much fun. The colors and graphics are fabulous. I did a product search at Scrapbook.com to try to get some fun ideas for using my new Sassafras and came across this amazing layout by Tracie Hudson. I just fell in love with it the instant I saw it and knew that I wanted to scraplift it. I actually used the same Sassafras paper and the same background color that she did. I love how she used all the Nerdy Bird embellies, but I didn't want to completely copy her layout, so I dove into my stash and used some different items. Here's what I created...a little layout about my guy & I at my best friend's wedding:

I am also totally into those Maya Road chipboard hearts that I just bought. They come in all different shapes and sizes...too fun! I can't wait to play around with this "Nerdy Bird" collection some more. Until next time, happy kraftin'!!

Fun with sketches...

Hey, all! I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend...they sure do fly by, though, don't they??

This weekend I played around with a fun sketch, created by Zarah, that I found posted on Stephanie Hart's blog. She designed a layout based off of it for the Creative Scrappers blog bounce that was going on last week. I fell in love with the sketch and just had to use it. I made some alterations, though. I have major problems with scrappong negative space. I LOOOVE negative space layouts, but I always feel this overwhelming urge to fill the space...so annoying. I'm incredibly jealous of all those scrappers out there that make negative space looking amzing. So, instead of using the sketch with all the negative space, I enlarged the sketch. Here is the result:

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy the rest of the day!

SOTB April Challenge

Hey, all! It's that time again over at Scrap Outside the Box (SOTB). This month you need to use comics in your layout - anyway, anyhow...Here is my take:

The best part? I conquered one of Dear Lizzy's challenges with this one. #10 Finish a layout in 30 minutes. This one was fairly easy to do...I used my trademark square design, slapped on a few scrap border strips, added a few brads, and then squirted some paint on randomly in the corners to finish it off. Easy peasy. To read more about Dear Lizzy's challenges click here.

Have a happy, krafty week!!

Fun with paint and ribbon scraps

Hey, all! So I decided to scraplift myself again! I created this layout a few months ago, but just never got around to posting it. It is based off of an old layout...I love the chance to use up as many ribbon scraps as possible...considering that I have TONS of ribbon lying around. You can see the post about my original layout here.

(new layout - a scraplift!)

(original layout)

The new layout was all about the elements of Valentine's Day...which is why it's a little strange that I'm posting it so far after the actual holiday. Oh well :)

Thanks for looking...have a happy work week!

Happy Easter!

I know I'm a little late on this post, but just wanted to wish everyone a HAPPY EASTER. I don't have any projects to share this weekend because I was out of town visiting my best friend...hopefully I can be crafty again soon. :)

Taking on Dear Lizzy's Challenges...

Hello, all! I just recently purchased Elizabeth Kartchner's fabulous book 52 More Scrapbooking Challenges. I am totally in love with it. It's full of inspiring challenges and fabulous layouts. If you don't know about Elizabeth, you should totally check out her blog. She is awesomely creative (she designed the new American Crafts line Dear Lizzy!) and her blog is full of funny family stories.

So, anyways...back to the book...I recently bought it and have decided that I will attempt every challenge in it. Some will be pretty easy, some not so much. I already know that I may be highly unsuccessful with some of her challenges...but I will try nonetheless. I am not putting myself on any sort of timeline. I don't want to fall into a pattern where every layout I do must satisfy one of Lizzy's challenges, but I do want to be inspired and I do want to push myself creatively...so we'll see what happens.

I went through the book and decided to conquer challenge #13 first: Combine black and white with color. Here is my result:
Black, white, green and a hint of orange puppy toy...

Until next time, happy kraftin'!

Easter Cards

Hey, all! I have been having some more fun with my Basic Grey "Kioshi" line. I made some fun little Easter cards for my family and friends. I think the colors are just perfect for Easter cards...you'll have to let me know what you think. I love that Basic Grey makes these little fabric flowers called "Bloomers." They are so cute and add just the right amount of "something."

(picture from Scrapbook.com)

Happy kraftin'!

Playing along with Creative Scrappers

Hey, all! It's Sunday...so that means another Creative Scrappers sketch is revealed. It's one of the first things that I do on Sunday morning - wake up and see the new sketch and see if I'm inspired by it. Haha.

This morning, I was...Here is my take:

I used another new Basic Grey collection called "Kioshi." It's perfect for Springtime...it has lots of beautiful pastel shades.

Until next time, happy kraftin'!

Basic Grey Goodness

Hey, all! So, I have found a new collection that I absolutely love. If you read my blog frequently, you know that I am totally in love with Crate Paper's "Bliss" collection for the pinks and greens. Well, now I'm totally in love with Basic Grey's "Green at Heart" collection. Such FUN colors - purples, greens, pinks and oranges...totally yummy.

Here is a layout I made with it today:

Isn't she the cutest doggy in the world?

Don't be surprised if you see a lot more layouts made with these fun papers. I think I'm in love :)

Yummy...

Hey, all! I decided to play along with the current challenge going on at These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (TAAFOMFT). I used to play along all the time, then life got in the way, but I'm back again :-) The current challenge is to scrap your favorite drink...this wasn't hard for me...I love frozen strawberry daquiris...besides them being yummy, I love them for another, more important reason. I really only drink frozen strawberry daquiris when I'm having a good time with friends or family. So, if you see me drinking a frozen strawberry daquiri, chances are I'm spending time with the ones I love. Cheesy, right? Yeah, I know...

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good work week!

Starry layout

Hey, all! So, I have yet another layout made from a Creative Scrappers sketch to share. When I woke up this morning, I was browsing my usual blogs and I saw their newest sketch posted. I loved it and I had to use it right away. I've scrapped this picture before, but I had another copy of it sitting on my desk, so I scrapped it again...this guy is cute enough that I can afford to have mulitple layouts of him ;-)

I also have a fun tip for you...see all those little stars that I punched out of pattern paper? I actually punched them out of the Basic Grey kit's main page (image from Scrapbook.com):

I think this is such a fun way to use this "scrap" of paper. Usually, it would get thrown away, but it's just the right size for making small embellishments.

I also painted on the circles with a very tiny paint brush and then used a Q-tip to do my usual paint technique.

Thanks for stopping by...hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Happy Weekend!

Hey all! Happy weekend! I am so, so happy that it is finally here! I plan on doing absolutely nothing this weekend :) ha!

Here is a recent layout that I made using March's Polka Dot Whimsy Kit and the newest sketch from Creative Scrappers.

Creative Scrappers posts a new sketch every Sunday...so check it out this weekend for some inspiration.

Enjoy your day...and happy kraftin!

Winner!

Congrats to Nikilynn who won my most recent challenge. Check out her winning layout here. Nikilynn, please email your mailing address to kraftykat9@gmail.com and I will get your prize package mailed out this weekend :)

Also, one of my layouts is posted over at Ideas for Scrapbookers today. I came in second place for a fun scraplifting challenge they had going on this month. I had a sort of crappy day, so this was fun to see when I got home from work. This is such a great blog and I highly recommend you check it out. It is chock full of fun templates and other unique scrapbooking ideas. They have a lot of talented ladies over there who contribute to the blog. Here is the layout posted there today:

Thanks for stopping by...so excited that tomorrow is Friday...I need the weekend to get here NOW :)

Fun with fabric paint

Hey, all! So this weekend, I broke out some fabric paint I had laying around to make this layout.

First, I traced a bunch of different size circles, then attached some sequins in random places using tiny brads and finally highlighted the cirlces with the dots of fabric paint. When the paint was dry, I just went back and erased the pencil marks. I really like the effect, but you'll have to let me know what you think. And of course, I haven't used my glimmer mist in about a week (ha!) so I layed down some stars and then sprayed over them to get the masked star look.

I hope everyone has a fun week!

Use those ribbon scraps!!

Are you like me? Do you have about 20 pounds of ribbon that you get ovewhelmed just looking at it? I have so, so, so much ribbon...and that never stops me from buying even more. Well, Creating Keepsakes most recent issue came to my rescue, because they did a whole article on innovative ways to use ribbon. One layout by Jennifer McGuire really caught my eye and I just had to do it too so I could use up some of my ribbon scraps. I already found a way to use up my ribbon scraps once before, so I was really excited to see this article and get some more inspiration. To see Jennifer's layout, turn to page 103 of the March/April issue. Her layout is called "The Best."
And in case you couldn't tell, when it comes to using my ribbon stash, I always love the rainbow effect. :)

Birthday Card and Sketch

Hey, all! I hope that everyone is having a fun weekend. I have a birthday card to share with you that I made a few weeks ago. I used a sketch from Twisted Sketches to make it. It's for a July birthday, as you can tell...but I really liked the sketch, so I went ahead and made it and will just hold onto the card until July. The "twist" to the sketch was transparent, so I used some transparent stars on the right side of my card...

Also, I told you that I would be back with a sketch to share. Here is the sketch. I haven't made anything with it yet, but it's definitely on my to-do list:

Have a nice, krafty weekend!!

Quick layout

Hey, all! I just wanted to share another layout that I created recently. I used my favorite paint technique on it. I really love painting around the edges of my layouts...I think it gives the page a little extra character. I was also able to make this layout super-fast. I just tore some paper, slapped on a few random embellies and painted around the edges....easy peasy :)

I will try to be back later in the week with a new sketch. Until then, don't forget about my current challenge!

Rainy days

Hey, all! I hope that everyone is having a nice weekend...it has been raining non-stop where I am...but it's kind of nice...it gives me an excuse to be absolutely lazy :-) I did organize my craft room a bit, though...so I wasn't a total bum!

Here is a layout that I created today using the most recent sketch from Creative Scrappers. They post a new sketch every Sunday and I'm pretty addicted to the site. It's full of some great inspiration. I highly recommend checking it out...I also used some of my older scrapping stash on this (the Basic Grey papers). I am so in love with so many of the new products that are out now, but I have to use some of my older stuff up first before I go on some crazy, crafty shopping spree...

Until next time...happy kraftin'!

SOTB March Challenge

Hey, all! The new challenge is up over at Scrap Outside the Box. This month we had to use shopping bags...I was a little uncreative with this one and just cut out some of the Target circles off of the plastic shopping bag. I also added some clothing tags on my layout, since I think they have some awesome clothes...most of my wardrobe comes from Target...ha! This layout is true, though...I am a total Target addict. :)

Head on over to SOTB to see what the other girls created and play along for an awesome prize!

A little ephemera

I love, love, love ephemera (ticket stubs, pamphlets, stamps, etc.). I have always found that stuff to be so much fun. That's why I was super excited yesterday when I went to Michaels and saw that K & Company had come out with a whole new collection (the Handmade collection) featuring plenty of ephemera...much like Making Memories' Vintage Findings collection.

One problem with my love for ephemera: it's typically associated with a very vintage style of scrapping...and if you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that I am NOT a vintage scrapper...it's so hard for me. I love bright and loud layouts. But every now and then, I like to dabble in the vintage style.

Here is a recent layout I made, using my new K & Company goodies. I also used a Creative Scrappers sketch...

Maybe this will inspire some of you to scrap outside of your comfort zone for a day!

Prize for current challenge

Hey, all!

So, I bet you've been wondering what the prize is going to be for my current challenge...Well...I was inspired by this Scrapbook.com article to make a kit for the prize this month.

Here it is:

Hopefully you are now encouraged to play along! :-) Have a happy, krafty weekend!

Feelin' green & challenge-y

Hello, all!!! So, I have nothing against the color pink, but I am ready to be done with February and all its pinks and reds...I'm ready for March. One of my favorite things about March is all the *GREEN* that sprouts up. I just love the color green - it's such a happy color. It's fresh. And St. Patty's Day is so much fun - if you actually remember to take pictures when you go out to celebrate, then you have some great scrapping material. In the spirit of the month of March, I made this layout:

Lots and lots of green - and now on to the details of my next challenge. Here are the rules:

-Pick a predominant color to use in your layout. You can have a different predominant color as your background (for example, I used brown)- but I want most of your embellies to be from the same color family.

-Link your layout to this post by Wednesday, 17 March, 6 pm PST.

-Tell your friends about this challenge!!

The prize will be posted this weekend. Until next time, happy kraftin'!

Scrappy card

Hey, all! I'm here with another fun way to use your scraps...you've basically already seen this in one of my previous cards, but I liked it so much, I thought I would do another.

I just attacked some of the paper in my scraps bin with a circle punch. These papers were all from the same line, K & Company Berry Sweet, so all the circles coordinated well together.

Another thing I like about this circle technique is the ability to add tiny little embellies onto the circle for some more fun detail. I really like little paper flowers, but I never quite know how to use them on layouts...but they are the perfect size for cards!

That's all I have for now...I'm in a bit of a creative slump recently, so I have not been highly productive. However, after making this card I feel a circle-filled layout coming on soon!

Be sure to check back later in the week for my next challenge!!

Scraplift yourself!

Hey, all! I hope your weekend is starting off well...

...Do you ever get stuck on layout ideas but are still in the mood to create? This happened to me tonight, so I just decided to scraplift myself.

Here is the original:

And here is my new one:

I definitely think the original is the better of the two, but I'm not too displeased with the new one either. I'm still trying to scrap these pictures from my best friend's wedding, despite the fact that their photographer did a horrible job (ha!). I like using the colors pink and green with these photos, too. I just think the colors go well with all the pictures from the day. I decided to venture away from my usual Crate Paper and use some of the paper's that came in this month's Polka Dot Whimsy kit.

Hope everyone has a great weekend...I have to work this weekend, so I hope that everyone has a little bit more fun than me! :-)

GIVEAWAY!

Hey, all!! My scrappy friend Sarah is having a giveaway at her blog. While I've never met Sarah in person, I became a huge fan of her work a few months ago. She's incredibly talented and crafty and definitely worth checking out. She's trying to reach 50,000 page views on her blog before her birthday. I don't think she'll have any problems doing that. Click here for details about her giveaway...she's giving away three different prizes, so your odds are good! And make sure to tell her that Kat sent you... :D

New Projects

Hey, all! I'm sad to say that even though I had a nice, long, 3-day weekend, I barely crafted anything. Oopsies. ☺ Oh well. It was nice to just relax a bit. Before I head back to work tomorrow I just wanted to share the projects I did create this weekend.

This is a card that I made. I loved using the circles in this way. And it's another great way to use up some scraps. And for those who asked about the cute bird paper from yesterday's post - it's Jillibean Soup! I used some scraps from that paper on my card today. I know the colors in this card are a little weird, but I still like the way it turned out nonetheless.

And this is a layout that I created using a sketch by Kristine Davidson. If you haven't checked out her blog, Creative Scrappers, before, I highly recommend it. It is full of awesome sketches and tons of inspiration from a supberb design team.

Paper Flower Tutorial

Hey, all! I have a fun paper flower tutorial that I would like to share. Bare with me: the pictures are not the best (my camera kinda sucks/the operator has no idea how to use it properly) and this is the first real tutorial I've ever done. This is the flower I will show you how to make:


One thing I love about making these is that is a perfect way to use some of the scraps you have lying around. I pulled some scrap paper right out of my scraps bin to create this. I recommend using a double-sided paper because you will see both sides once the flower is complete. First begin by cutting out/punching circles in your desired size. The ones I used are about an inch and half wide. I ended up using 9 circles to make the flower:

Fold every circle in half. You are going to want to be able to see the crease:

Next, fold in part of the circle as if you will be making a wedge shape. Make sure that this fold extends past the center crease that you just made:

Take the part of the fold that extended past the center crease and fold it back out toward the outside of the circle. The edge of this fold should line up with the center crease:

Repeat on the other side:

Your piece of paper should look like this once you are done:

Repeat on the remaining circle pieces:

Finally, glue the pieces down on to your project by lining up all the pointy ends together. Imagine putting a bunch of pizza slices back together to make a whole pizza. Once you've done that, just add a center. I used a button here, but you can use anything: a brad, a rhinestone, chipboard, etc.:

I hope my tutorial wasn't too confusing. Thank goodness I took pictures so you can at least see what I'm talking about, even if my words don't make any sense!

Until next time, happy kraftin'!

Challenge winner!

Hey, all!

Just wanted to announce the random winner of my challenge...

Congrats to Gina!! Go check out her blog for some more of her awesome work. Gina, email your mailing address to kraftykat9@gmail.com and I will put your prize in the mail ASAP :)

Thanks also to everyone who played along...I loved all the layouts that I saw.

I will be back again soon with a brand new challenge, so keep checking back!!

New layout...

Hey, all! I just wanted to share a new layout with you. If you've been following along with my blog for some time, you know by now that I am a HUGE Crate Paper fan. How could I not be? Just look at these super fun "Bliss" papers. I'm pretty preppy so I've always loved the pink-green color combo....

This is a scraplift of Delaina Burns' layout, "Katie's 12." I know the picture looks funny because my best friend, the bride, is whited out...however, most of her wedding photos came out like that...super bright...it's a little frustrating because I think she should stand out in all these pictures...oh well....

Also, as an important side note, I used the Martha Stewart loops punches, which are up for grabs in this month's challenge. Ok, that's it...I promise that I will not mention my current challenge again until I announce the winner. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it...ha!

A new sketch...finally!

Hey, all! I have a new sketch to share with you...I know it's been awhile since I posted one...
And here is my take on it:

As always, if you use this sketch, I would LOVE to see what you do with it...just leave a link here!!